undefined

E. L. Doctorow's The Book of Daniel

of 4.

	"But you see I was learning. I was learning how to be an Isaacson. An Isaacson does things boldly calculated to bring self-destructive results. It is a way of making the world do your bidding. My face now bearded, my hair longer than it has ever been, I careen through my changes at an accelerating pace. The sense is of running too fast downhill. But why not, why the f*uck not."
	-E. L. Doctorow, The Book of Daniel

Daniel Isaacson is the son of Paul and Rochelle (Rachel) Isaacson, both executed for the crime of international espionage. He is thumbing his way to New York with his wife and baby son to see Susan, Daniel's little sister who has tried to commit suicide.
This novel switches between both the first and third person to tell the story of Daniel's current life as a student, teacher, and revolutionary in addition to telling the story of Daniel, the young boy whose parents are arrested by the FBI. This is a stunning novel that goes above and beyond most books I've read.
This novel addresses the idea of American fear as a public aphrodisiac and as a political tool. This is a sordid tale that delves into the evil revisions of legends by Disney and a surrealist film by Dali. This is a novel unlike any other and I give it my highest recommendation.